CSU’s Weber: Angela Merkel is our candidate

German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s Bavarian allies will support her if she decides to run for reelection next year, a deputy chief of the Christian Social Union (CSU) said in an interview published on Saturday.

His comments come after months of tension between Merkel’s Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and her Bavarian allies over the chancellor’s refugee policy.

CSU leader Horst Seehofer has repeatedly criticized the chancellor’s decision last year to open the country to hundreds of thousands people fleeing war in the Middle East and elsewhere. He said there should be a cap on refugees and Germany should not accept more than 200,000 a year.

A spokesperson for Merkel replied it was “not the chancellor’s position.”